How The Open University is helping in Africa (1/10)

As part
of its continuing development, Africa is tackling
its shortage of skills. Because of the numbers involved
and the rural distances, a new model of training is needed and Africa has chosen
the Open University UK, a world leader in open
and supported distance learning, to be its partner. We have the ability, the experience
to deliver to a wide range of people our consistent quality by using the
open distance learning approach. Learning materials are designed
for urban and rural areas and are available
in whatever technology is best, from internet to print. This film invites you to support the
Open University’s work in Africa which is distinctive
due to its collaborative approach, technological capabilities
and scalable delivery. For teachers. It helps the teacher to gain
more attention from the children and the children are very much
interested and they’re active. For doctors. We have one physician
for 50,000 people. So we need to train more doctors
to tackle this problem. And for healthcare workers. This health extension worker if she
was to be trained at the higher level she would have to go for one and
a half years to a training school and that would mean she’s not here. This year 400,000 teachers
and student teachers will be using learning materials
created by the TESSA consortium. One of the key ideas
that underpins TESSA is that teachers need to be trained
in their own classrooms. There isn’t the capacity to remove
teachers from their classrooms and send them to colleges
hundreds of miles away. TESSA is about teaching strategies. You are going to select strategies
that work for your classroom. There are 3.8 million
more primary school teachers required across Sub-Saharan Africa. So TESSA has been welcomed
by teacher training colleges. You get introduced to it, you get
a knack of it and you want more. You only need to go on the websites and it awakes the ability
to become creative and innovative. The children must participate. The teacher cannot come and
pump the knowledge into the child. And I’m very grateful to TESSA because it has really enriched
my way of teaching. The potential for TESSA
in the future is immense. We started small but I believe
that it will move across Africa like a bush fire,
really catching everybody. The freely-available and
easily-adaptable TESSA materials are helping Africa
leapfrog its teaching skills. But the work of the consortium
continues to grow and needs additional
financial support. In supporting TESSA, you’ll be
supporting a world of knowledge. As well as education,
a major challenge is medical skills. In Ethiopia the Open University
is helping set up the world’s first
Distance Learning Medical Centre. The really exciting thing now
is that we can train more doctors more cost effectively
than ever has been done before. Especially in the rural areas. I’m hoping that
this newly-opened medical centre will train more and more doctors
so that we can solve our problems. While at the medical centre, the student doctors will be
able to use internet resources. When they disperse to the rural areas the supported
distance learning continues. The experience that the Open
University has in distance learning will definitely contribute on how to develop
the teaching learning materials. If this programme succeeds it will become a Model
to other medical schools for using IT properly
and distance learning. We’ll be training
tens of thousands of new doctors. It might even be
hundreds of thousands. The only thing we need now is more funding to make sure
that the project can be achieved. The Open University is also helping
to train healthcare workers through the HEAT programme. I think people should see this
as the most fantastic opportunity to make a difference to the training
of health professionals in Ethiopia. Here is a vaccination clinic
in a health centre that’s serving about 36,000 people. We’re equipping them with the skills to write really good quality
distance education. So at some point
we back out of the picture and what we leave here are people
who can write their own curriculum. So sustainability is a key part
of the Open University’s approach. New skills allow the healthcare
workers to train others so key workers
can learn where they work. Over the next five years we could
reach 500,000 health workers and it has the potential
to save the lives of millions of children and mothers. And we need funding
to be able to do that. Open distance learning
offers a new opportunity for Africa. The Open University and its partners
are committed to writing and adapting the best possible learning materials. The Open University
makes a difference by engaging in the long term
for the country’s development. Education is a human right
for everybody. The Open University
has the expertise. The Open University
has the experience. The Open University has done wonders. African governments, higher education
and healthcare institutions have chosen the Open University. These programmes and others will enable sustainable
and flexible training to be developed further
by the people on the ground. This approach can give everyone the
opportunity to reach their potential. Success will be possible
with your support. So let’s work together and be part
of Africa’s continuing development.